Top Ten Best-Researched Herbs

Beautiful to behold in nature, many plants have been used medicinally for thousands of years. Here are ten proven medicinal herbs that scientists have tested in clinical studies. Few people are aware of the multitude of scientific studies done on plants. This information should not be used as medical advice.

Garlic

“If we were to design a drug that had perfect properties according to what
we know about heart disease and associated risk factors, we couldn’t
improve on garlic,” says Amanda McQuade-Crawford, herbalist and director of
the Ojai Center of Phytotherapy in Ojai, Calif. Regular use of garlic is
associated with the prevention of cardiovascular disease, she explains.
Garlic raises protective HDLs (high-density lipoproteins), while it lowers
harmful LDLs (low-density lipoproteins) and triglycerides (blood fats).
Garlic is also known to help lower high blood pressure, she says.
Garlic aids in cancer prevention by raising the body’s level of glutathione
transferase, a liver enzyme known to detoxify the body of carcinogens, says
McQuade-Crawford. In China, researchers found gastric cancer was reduced
where garlic intake was high. Other researchers have noted improved
helper/suppressor ratios of T-cells in AIDS patients who take garlic.
Proven to work against various micro-organisms including bacteria resistant
to antibiotics, garlic is known to be antifungal and antiviral, she adds.

Hawthorn

The berries of this flowering shrub are best used for the heart, says
McQuade-Crawford. Hawthorn aids the heart’s pumping action by opening the
coronary arteries to nourish the heart muscle. The herb can also slow a
rapid heart rate and strengthen a failing heart. Hawthorn usually lowers
high blood pressure, especially a raised diastolic high blood pressure, and
it benefits low blood pressure due to weak heart muscles with arrhythmia
(irregular heart rhythm).

“Hawthorn takes a long time to do its best — six months or longer. In the
style of a true herbal tonic, it can be taken safely and effectively over
time for its best effects,” notes McQuade-Crawford.

Ephedra

Also known in Chinese as ma huang, ephedra may be the world’s oldest herb
cultivated for medicinal purposes, dating back nearly 5,000 years, says
McQuade-Crawford. It’s commonly used in cold formulas as a decongestant.

“Ephedra is a great bronchial dilator,” McQuade-Crawford says. It helps
asthma sufferers by opening the sinus passages and has an antihistamine
effect which aids chronic and acute allergies. Ephedra also acts as a
circulatory stimulant to blood pressure and heart function; it elevates
blood pressure. Ephedra’s main constituent is ephedrine, which increases
adrenaline secretion in our bodies. The boost you get from ephedra
stimulates certain glands, muscles and tissue functions, while it
suppresses others.

“In the long term, ephedra’s adrenaline overdrive can lead to chronic
stress and even to degenerative disease,” warns McQuade-Crawford. She notes
this is important for people using ephedra for dietary weight loss or “pep
pill” purposes because the effects of ephedra linger in the body long after
the herb is gone. “Ephedra shouldn’t be used with drugs for the heart or
for the lungs and never with antidepressant drugs. It’s not for use with
the weak or the ill and when used long term, dosages should be
conservative,” McQuade-Crawford cautions.

Licorice

Licorice has been most recently researched as an antiviral and in the
treatment of gastrointestinal ulceration, explains McQuade-Crawford. Its
soothing, anti-inflammatory and relaxing actions help smooth muscles in the
gastrointestinal tract on contact. “Licorice gets into a painful,
contracted, tight digestive tract and coats the raw places, relaxes the
clenched-up muscles and acts as a local anti-inflammatory,” she says.
Licorice also increases bile secretion. Licorice is indicated for any
gastrointestinal ulcers, including mouth ulcers. The root is indicated for
chronic coughs and bronchitis as a soothing decongestant. It’s also
indicated in small amounts to reduce sugar cravings.

The Chinese often use licorice to improve the taste and the effects of
other herbs in complex formulas. Japanese research has shown licorice to
decrease high testosterone levels in women with ovarian cysts and to
increase their fertility. Large amounts of licorice or long-term use raises blood pressure in some
people.

Research shows that standardized extract of bilberry can enlarge range of
vision and improve sharpness of images, enhance ability to focus, and
improve blurred vision, eyestrain and nearsightedness. Bilberry extract
also helps strengthen coronary arteries and helps prevent atherosclerosis
and venous insufficiency, which causes swollen ankles and feet.
“Since adding bilberry to my own health program, I’ve noticed my muscles
seem to recover slightly faster, I experience less muscular pain and my
vision has improved from 20/100 to approximately 20/50,” says Schechter.

Echinacea

Decades of research prove echinacea’s value for aiding the immune system,
Schechter explains. Studies have determined echinacea’s ability to activate
white blood cells and stimulate the regeneration of the cellular connective
tissue and the epidermis. Schechter notes that echinacea’s
infection-fighting properties stem from its ability to neutralize a harmful
enzyme involved in the infection process. Echinacea also increases two
vital components of your immune system that consume and eliminate invading
organisms and foreign particles.

German studies have shown echinacea extract contains proteins that help
protect noninfected cells against viral infections, one reason why
echinacea is regarded as an influenza preventor. Another German study found
echinacea effective in allergy treatment because it helps prevent tissue
inflammation due to harmful foreign toxins.

Milk Thistle

“I consider standardized milk thistle seed extract the most beneficial
herbal product for liver detoxification, regeneration and protection, and,
in general, one of the most universally necessary herbal products for the
1990s,” says Schechter. He notes that the stress of toxins from chemical
pollutants, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, tobacco smoke, drugs and different
forms of radiation have cumulative side effects that need to be addressed.

More than 120 scientific studies have shown that milk thistle extract
regenerates, regulates and strengthens liver functions. Because free
radicals attack the liver, primarily the fat tissue in the liver, the
antioxidant qualities of milk thistle are extremely beneficial. Milk
thistle stimulates your body to produce superoxide dismutase, which is one
of two primary antioxidants the body can manufacture.

Astragalus

Astragalus has been used as an immunity booster in China for nearly 4,000
years, according to Rob McCaleb, founder of the Herb Research Foundation in
Boulder, Colo. Astragalus extracts can increase immune system efficiency by
increasing immune activity. One study found that astragalus extracts could
increase the impaired immune function of blood cells up to and sometimes
beyond normal cell ability.

Ginseng

Ginseng is one of the most widely studied herbs, having been the subject of
more than 3,000 scientific studies to investigate how ginseng helps improve
a person’s physical and/or mental performance, notes McCaleb. Studies have
shown ginseng helps increase memory and learning by improving circulation.
It’s also been shown to reduce cholesterol and protect the liver from
toxins. Ginseng, according to Tierra, is known to strengthen the lungs,
nourish body fluids and calm the spirit. It may be used for shock, collapse
and heart weakness, as well as for promoting longevity and increasing
resistance to disease.

A Japanese study showed cancerous liver cells could be reverted to normal
cells in a Petri dish culture when treated with Panax ginseng extract.
Siberian ginseng has also been shown to stimulate the immune system.

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